Talking to my Sister and Brother-in-law last week, they told me of a Great Horned Owl they spotted near Huntingdon. Initially I was a bit perplexed as the Great Horned Owl is not a resident species to Britain and neither is it a usual visitor. Apparently it was a captive bird that has been released into the wild either deliberately or by accident but I had to travel down there to check it out for myself. After spending a few days in the location where it was spotted I saw it high up in the trees. Unfortunately it was getting dark and due to the distance involved my flashgun didn't provide enough light to capture it well enough. But I had seen it and was determined to get a good shot.

Speaking to the locals who know the bird well said that there are two birds that have been released by someone who is an american member of the armed forces who had to return home and could not take the birds with him. Initially I was concerned about this as this is how certain endemic species of British wildlife become threatened by the introduction of non-native species such as the case of the Red Squirrel with the Grey Squirrel. However, it is believed that both the released birds are female which means they will not be able to breed. On the one hand this is good news as they will not become a threat to our native species of owls but at the same time it is rather sad that they will live out their lives alone.

However, determined to get a good shot I hung around for a few more days, constantly looking out for her. One evening I could hear her hooting but could not see her. A very deep booming hoot, unlike any British owl species, made it difficult to pin-point her location. Carefully and quietly moving around the location I gradually tracked her down and found her sitting quite low in a tree. Armed with just my 70-200mm f2.8 lens, I was surprised at how close I was able to get to her and managed to get a series of shots filling the frame. If I had my 500mm f4 lens I would have been far too close to get a decent shot.

A satisfying end to a worthwhile trip.